Month: October 2013

Databases are your best friend. They help with everything from images to full text articles on topics for your craft. Whether you need references on craft technique or just some ideas to get started on your next project, the library databases are one of your best resources available.

In the above image, you can see a screenshot of the OCAC Library website. The main page will look a little different, giving you access to the online catalog as well as some info about your library. Here on the “databases” tab, you can see just a few of the amazing databases available to the OCAC community. These top three here have specialized log ins that you can inquire about at the circulation desk (or give us a call). Other databases, including the amazing Academic OneFile, are provided through the Washington County Cooperative (of which our library is proudly a member). For these all you need is your library card and you can access the databases.

All of the databases can be accessed from school or from home once you have the proper log ins.

Does your project have mythological themes? Check out the Mythology database!
World War I inspired? We have history databases!
Working on a multicultural project? Take a look at the Archaeology in America: An Encyclopedia, CultureGrams, North American Indian, or the New Encyclopedia of Africa!

There are so many great resources floating around in the digital ether. Come to the library to inquire further or explore them at your own leisure.

In honor of Halloween, the Day of the Dead, Samhain, or whatever other mystical holidays you may be celebrating this season, we would like to present a few books featuring spirits.

Face of the Spirits: Mask from the Zaire Basin, is one such book. It features photographs of masks that “are dynamic incarnations of omnipresent spirits”. Tribesman utilize the masks in their everyday culture as a medium between themselves and their ancestors. This connection to the spiritual world has important significance to the entire culture and is their connection to their legacy.

While the mask are beautiful, they are not art pieces as we might think of masks, but are influential tools to the tribes of the Zaire River Basin. Each image in the book features some history, cultural significance, and meaning of the featured mask as well as structural discussion.

Secondly, Yoshitoshi’s Thirty-Six Ghosts examines the woodblock prints of (you guessed it) ghosts. Each full size/full color print comes accompanied by the story on which each design is based. Some explain spirits relationships to nature, others depict ghosts of war.

Both these titles, and more are available at our library for check out. Come explore the afterlife through varied art forms.

This is a very interested addition to our library collection. Lucy Lippard, noted curator and author curated four conceptual art exhibits, and developed a new way to approach exhibition catalogs. This ‘book’ is really a collection of loose notecards with all kinds of information printed on them. The title refers to the population of each city she curated in for these shows, including Seattle, and Vancouver. Come take a look!

Shape of things to come

Published by Rizzoli 2009. This was published in conjunction with the opening of the Saatchi Gallery in the U.K., and claims to be the most comprehensive volume on contemporary sculpture. This will be of use to our students exploring installation art, design, and to those who have an interest in the future evolution of sculpture.

We’d like to thank everyone who came to our Banned Books Week Celebration in late September. It was a big success. We are so thrilled to have conversations surrounding censorship of books and find support on campus of those who want to battle censorship. If you could not attend our shin dig and you would like more information on banned books, you can visit http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/ .

The library staff is pleased to announce the roll out of our new website! It is THE place to go for all kinds of great resources! You can connect to the library’s catalog, see our amazing selection of databases, link up to student and faculty websites, find out about a plethora services and more.

Find it: On the OCAC website (www.ocac.edu) under Campus Life you’ll see the library page and the link.Take a look. Book mark it. Use it!

The library is also happy to announce the permanent installation of a coffee/tea cart. Come relax between classes in library and enjoy a cup of coffee while you work on homework. This is our free gift to the OCAC community, though donations are appreciated to keep it stocked.